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Re: Re: Free software, proprietary software and Stalin



On Wed, Mar 01, 2000 at 08:59:11AM +0530, Suresh Ramasubramanian wrote:
> >> Suppose I have some skill which I make available free to others - if
> >> others say "Suresh is kewl at that" (GPL)  then ok.  If ~I~ say "I'm the
> 
> Let me spell it out.  GPL - You don't stand on your rights and give away
> your code to others, as long as others redistribute all their changes
> under the GPL as well.  

That's true of BSD license too. You don't stand on your rights and give away
your code to others - others can redistribute it under any license including
GPL. 

I can not do the same with GPL. Thus BSD is less restrictive than GPL.
Even RMS acknowledges this. He just claims that his restrictions have
a noble intention.

> BSD - 
> 
> 1. I write some software and distribute it under the BSD license
> 
> 2. Someone patches it - he's ~forced~ to explicitly acknowledge me as the
> author, and so on down the line .....
> 

#2 above is no longer true. The clause has been removed from the BSD
license. But you still need to carry the copyright statement. That's
true for both BSD and GPL.

> When I said "mixing / interfacing" I don't mean locking GPL'd code into
> BSD programs, which then implies claiming credit for the ~whole~
> thing.  This incompatible mindset is what makes most projects stick to one
> license - either GPL or BSD.  

1. BSD + GPL = GPL
2. GPL + X = GPL, for all values of X

If 2 is not true, 2 must be illegal.

> 
> I meant it in the term of "using them together, making them work
> together" - respecting each license.  Not taking somebody's GPL'd code,
> patching it into BSD software and then locking it down under your name.

You seem to have a misconception here. Publishing code under GPL doesn't
mean people can ignore your copyright or not acknowledge your work and
claim the work as their own. Read the last couple of paragraphs of GPL 
again.

Stripping ofF other people's copyright is considered extremely rude 
universally.

	-Arun